CONFIDENTIAL— NOT  TO  BE  PRINTED 


v 

f  3  W\  -229* 

ftusvi'a. 

RECENT  EXPERIENCES  AND 
IMPRESSIONS  IN  RUSSIA 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2019  with  funding  from 
Columbia  University  Libraries 


https://archive.org/details/recentexperienceOOmott 


RECENT  EXPERIENCES  AND 
IMPRESSIONS  IN  RUSSIA 


Extracts  from  Correspondence 
and  Addresses  of  Jolm  R.  Mott, 
Member  of  tke  Special  Diplomatic 
Mission  of  tbe  United  States  to 
Russia,  May- August,  1917 


Confidential — Not  to  be  printed 


124  EAST  TWENTY-EIGHTH  STREET 
NEW  YORK 


Letter  From  John  R.  Mott  Regarding  a  Most 

Urgent  Need  in  Russia 

U.  S.  S.  BUFFALO, 

Near  Unimak  Pass,  Aleutian  Islands, 

July  30,  1917. 

Russia  has  called  to  the  colors  since  the  war  began  not  less 
than  13,200,000  men.  This  constitutes  the  largest  army  assembled 
by  any  one  nation  in  the  history  of  the  world.  Of  this  vast  number 
it  is  estimated  that  fully  2,000,000  have  already  been  killed  or 
have  died  as  the  result  of  wounds  or  diseases  occasioned  by  the 
war.  Another  2,000,000  are  today  prisoners  of  war  in  Germany, 
Austria-Hungary,  Bulgaria,  and  Turkey.  Another  2,000,000  may 
be  classified  as  permanently  ineffective,  chiefly  those  who  have 
been  seriously  mutilated  in  warfare  or  shattered  by  disease.  This 
leaves  7,200,000  men  as  comprising  the  total  strength  of  the  Rus¬ 
sian  army  of  today.  Some  authorities  whom  I  consulted  give  a 
somewhat  lower  figure,  but  more  would  place  it  even  higher. 
Of  this  army  of  today  probably  2,100,000  are  to  be  found  in  the 
seventy  corps  on  the  European  front  and  the  five  on  the  Asiatic 
front;  1,000,000  in  the  depots  or  reserves;  1,000,000  in  connection 
with  garrisons  and  communications — thus  leaving  a  little  over 
3,000,000  in  training,  on  leave  or  otherwise  not  immediately  avail¬ 
able  for  military  operations,  J>ut  potentially  a  most  important 
asset.  On  this  vast  host  of  Russian  men  and  boys  rests  the  tre¬ 
mendous  responsibility  of  maintaining  and  pressing  the  war  on 
the  long  drawn  out  eastern  front.  The  effectiveness  and  faith¬ 
fulness  with  which  they  perform  this  critical  duty  will  determine, 
far  more  largely  than  we  in  America  have  realized,  the  extent 
of  the  exertions  and  sacrifices,  and  the  laying  down  of  life  and 
substance,  of  the  American  people  in  connection  with  the  great 
struggle.  Whatever  can  be  done,  therefore,  to  ensure  and  develop 
the  highest  working  efficiency  and  truly  triumphant  spirit  of  the 
Russian  soldiers  has  a  most  direct,  practical,  and  vital  bearing  on 
the  destiny  of  America  and  the  other  Allies.  As  a  member  of 


3 


the  Special  Diplomatic  Mission  to  Russia  which  had  been  charged 
by  President  Wilson  with  the  responsibility  of  studying  ways  in 
which  America  and  Russia  might  best  cooperate  in  the  war,  I 
gave  not  a  little  attention,  in  accordance  with  the  wish  of  our 
Chairman,  Mr.  Root,  to  the  consideration  of  this  large  and  press¬ 
ing  problem. 

That  there  is  imperative  need  of  instituting  measures  for 
rendering  practical  service  to  the  millions  of  Russian  men  and 
boys  under  arms  or  in  uniform  there  can  be  no  question  in  the 
mind  of  any  one  who  has  first-hand  knowledge  of  conditions.  This 
need  existed  before  the  Russian  Revolution.  A  similar  need  had 
been  recognized  in  all  the  other  Allied  armies,  and  with  greater 
or  less  thoroughness  was  being  met;  but,  notwithstanding  the 
most  helpful  activities  of  such  agencies  as  the  zemstvos  unions, 
there  has  been  lacking  in  the  Russian  army  from  the  beginning  an 
agency  to  specialize  on  the  physical,  mental,  social,  and  moral  bet¬ 
terment  of  the  men  as  has  been  done  in  so  many  of  the  other 
countries  by  the  Young  Men’s  Christian  Association.  The  Rus¬ 
sian  Revolution  has  greatly  accentuated  the  need.  From  the  na¬ 
ture  of  the  case  the  minds  of  multitudes  of  Russian  soldiers  have 
been  more  or  less  absorbed  with  the  political  and  social  issues 
thrust  upon  them  by  the  Revolution.  Moreover,  the  subtle,  able 
forces  of  German  intrigue  have  taken  advantage  of  these  unset¬ 
tled  conditions  and  have  waged  a  really  masterly  propaganda 
among  large  numbers  of  the  troops  in  the  garrisons,  in  the  train¬ 
ing  camps,  and,  to  a  larger  degree  than  might  be  thought  possible, 
at  the  front.  As  one  studies  these  troops  wherever  they  are  con¬ 
gregated  throughout  Russia  or  Siberia,  at  the  front  or  at  the  base, 
one  is  impressed  by  the  vast  numbers  who  either  are  not  occupied 
at  all  with  activities  related  to  the  war  or  are  devoting  them¬ 
selves  to  aimless  and  unprofitable  political  discussion.  The  prac¬ 
tical  problem,  stated  in  a  sentence,  is:  Shall  these  millions  of 
young  men  and  boys  in  garrisons,  in  reserve  camps  and  at  the 
fighting  front  spend  the  five  or  more  leisure  hours  which  they 
have  each  day  in  idleness,  in  dissipation,  and  in  unprofitable  or 
weakening  agitation,  or  shall  they  devote  these  spare  hours  to 
healthful  physical  and  social  recreation,  growth  in  knowledge 
and  working  efficiency,  and  unselfish  service  to  their  fellowmen? 
This  war  has  shown  the  supreme  importance  of  morale.  Napoleon 


4 


went  so  far  as  to  maintain  that  morale  counts  for  an  army  as 
three  to  one.  How  important  it  is  that  everything  possible  be 
done  during  these  coming  months  to  improve  the  morale,  to 
strengthen  the  discipline,  and  to  raise  the  spirit  of  our  comrades  in 
Russia. 

The  marvelous  success  achieved  by  the  Young  Men’s  Chris¬ 
tian  Association  in  the  British,  Canadian,  and  Australasian  armies 
not  only  on  the  west  front,  but  also  in  Egypt,  Mesopotamia,  Sa- 
loniki,  and  on  the  Gallipoli  Peninsula,  in  the  wonderful  French 
army,  as  well  as  in  the  newly-forming  American  army,  has  dem¬ 
onstrated  the  adaptability  of  this  organization  for  meeting  the 
situation  in  Russia.  I  am  glad  to  state  that  even  before  I  arrived 
in  Russia  on  this  last  visit  some  of  our  American  Association 
secretaries,  who  have  long  been  at  work  there  in  the  prisoner-of- 
war  camps,  had  become  so  impressed  by  the  need  and  by  the 
urgency  of  the  situation  that  they,  without  knowledge  of  each 
other’s  action,  had  already  inaugurated  work  among  the  Russian 
soldiers  at  a  number  of  points  as  widely  separated  as  Petrograd 
on  the  west,  Tomsk  and  Irkutsk  in  Siberia,  and  Tashkend  in 
Turkestan.  These  efforts  met  with  the  instant  and  enthusiastic 
approval  of  both  soldiers  and  officers.  To  promote  recreation 
and  the  physical  conditioning  of  the  men,  football,  volley  ball, 
track  athletics,  relay  races,  and  aquatics  had  been  introduced.  The 
educational  work  included  language  schools,  courses  for  other 
useful  studies,  libraries,  reading  rooms,  lectures,  and  moving  pic¬ 
ture  shows.  Wise  use  was  being  made  of  high-grade  theatrical 
plays.  The  musical  features  of  the  work  were  also  most  welcome. 
The  moral  and  religious  life  of  the  soldiers  received  sympathetic 
and  careful  attention.  Wherever  possible,  the  men  were  being 
enlisted  in  unselfish  service  among  their  fellows.  As  I  studied 
these  experiments  I  asked  myself,  Why  is  not  this  work  repro¬ 
ducible  throughout  the  entire  Russian  army? 

In  order  to  ascertain  whether  the  Russians  would  welcome 
American  cooperation  through  such  an  agency  as  the  Associa¬ 
tion^  I  had  interviews  with  a  number  of  persons.  I  discussed 
the  matter  at  length  with  Prince  Lvov,  the  Premier,  and  found 
him  most  intelligently  sympathetic.  Mr.  Terestchenko,  Minister 
of  Foreign  Affairs,  responded  heartily  to  the  suggestion.  I  had 
but  a  few  moments  with  the  Minister  of  War  and  Marine,  Mr. 


5 


Kerensky,  and  arranged  to  go  into  the  subject  more  fully  with 
him  at  his  leisure,  but  he  had  not  yet  returned  from  the  front 
when  I  was  obliged  to  start  back  to  America.  Other  members  of 
the  War  Ministry,  however,  have  indicated  to  us  their  hearty 
approval.  The  Chief  of  the  General  Staff  assured  me  that  he 
and  his  colleagues  would  welcome  the  help  of  this  American 
Association.  With  the  assistance  of  Mr.  Harte,  our  chief  Asso¬ 
ciation  representative  in  Eastern  Europe,  many  of  the  Soldiers' 
Deputies,  as  well  as  other  soldiers,  were  interviewed  and  brought 
together  in  groups  for  consultation.  They  entered  into  the  new 
plans  with  the  keenest  interest  and  assured  us  of  their  earnest 
cooperation.  In  view  of  such  a  uniformly  favorable  response 
preliminary  steps  were  taken  before  I  left  Russia  to  constitute  a 
National  Committee  to  have  general  supervision  of  the  extension 
of  the  Association  Movement  throughout  the  Russian  army. 
Prince  Kropotkin  will  probably  serve  as  chairman.  Other  men 
of  large  influence  who  command  the  full  confidence  of  soldiers 
and  officers  will  be  members.  As  the  demand  for  this  work  was 
so  very  urgent,  I  diverted  from;  the  prisoner-of-war  work  in 
Russia  and  Siberia  ten  of  our  best  American  secretaries,  and 
arranged  for  them  to  devote  themselves  to  the  work  for  the 
Russian  soldiers.  A  cablegram  was  sent  to  America  asking  that 
certain  other  workers  who  had  been  in  Russia  and  who  were 
more  or  less  acquainted  with  the  Russian  language  and  Russian 
conditions  be  dispatched  to  Russia  as  soon  as  possible  to  help 
meet  this  unique  opportunity.^  One  of  our  most  efficient  secre¬ 
taries  in  Siberia  is  bringing  out  a  valuable  booklet  on  Association 
principles  and  methods  for  army  work  and  it  is  now  being 
printed  in  Russian.  Other  pamphlets  are  also  being  planned, 
including  a  manual  for  the  guidance  of  those  who  are  to  engage 
in  this  particular  form  of  service. 

All  my  investigations  convinced  me  that  the  soldiers  of  Rus¬ 
sia  present  to  Americans  possibly  the  largest  single  opportunity 
among  the  countless  doors  for  constructive  service  which  have 
been  open  to  us  during  the  war.  Here  is  a  field  that  stretches 
one-third  of  the  way  around  the  world.  It  involves  literally 
millions  of  men  and  boys — as  many  as  the  Association  is  today 
serving  in  the  combined  armies  of  Britain,  Canada,  America,  and 
France.  It  is  wide  open  to  our  friendly  approach.  It  is  a  most 


6 


responsive  field.  At  many  points  the  Russian  army  reminded 
me  quite  as  much  of  older  boys  as  of  mature  men,  and  these  hosts 
of  boys,  and  the  men  too  for  that  matter,  can  be  led  anywhere 
by  workers  of  warm  hearts,  wise  heads,  and  an  unselfish  spirit. 
They  are  most  responsive  to  kindness.  Very  many  of  them  are 
eager  for  self-development,  are  truly  idealistic,  and  possess  a 
genuinely  religious  nature.  It  is  not  an  optional  matter  whether 
we  of  America  shall  enter  this  wide  and  effectual  door;  it  is 
obligatory  that  we  do  so.  By  this  I  mean  that  it  is  a  clear  duty 
because  a  need  known  and  ability  to  meet  that  need  con¬ 
stitute  a  clear  call  of  duty.  To  deal  in  any  worthy  or  adequate 
way  with  this  boundless  opportunity  means  that  we  must  send 
over  to  Russia  as  soon  as  possible  hundreds  of  the  best  qualified 
workers  whom  we  can  find.  The  difficulties  and  temptations 
which  await  these  workers  are  so  subtle  and  serious  that  we 
should  send  only  men  of  established  character,  of  rich  experience, 
and  of  undiscourageable  enthusiasm.  I  It  may  be  found  wise  and 
practicable  to  establish  a  language  school  where  all  of  these  work¬ 
ers  can  spend  at  least  a  short  period  on  arriving  in  Russia,  al¬ 
though  a  man  should  begin  his  study  of  the  Russian  language 
the  day  he  decides  to  enter  this  field.  For  every  American 
secretary  there  should  be  at  least  ten  Russian  workers. 

It  would  be  difficult  to  over-state  the  urgency  of  this  extraor¬ 
dinary  situation.  The  late  autumn  and  the  winter  months  will 
constitute  the  most  critical  testing  period.  If  these  men  can  be 
afforded  pleasant  and  profitable  occupation  during  this  trying 
time  it  will  ensure  conservation  of  probably  the  greatest  single 
asset  of  the  Allied  cause;  whereas,  if  through  the  influence  of 
counter-revolutionary  forces,  of  German  intrigue,  and  of  disinte¬ 
grating  habits  of  dissipation  and  idleness,  the  great  Russian  army 
should  be  permitted  to  dissolve  or  be  riven  with  seams  of  weak¬ 
ness,  the  most  disastrous  consequences  will  follow.  Just  now 
America,  as  no  other  nation,  holds  the  key  to  the  situation.  Her 
prompt  recognition  of  the  Revolutionary  Government  and  her 
genuine  and  expressed  desire  to  do  anything  in  her  power  to 
help  Russia,  make  the  Russian  people  peculiarly  hospitable  to 
American  ideas  and  wofkers.  It  is  well  for  us  to  keep  reminding 
ourselves  that  the  Russians  have  long  been  fighting  our  battles  for 
us,  and  this  at  a  terrific  cost.  Anything  which  we  find  it  possible 


7 


to  do  in  the  way  of  giving  money  and  men  to  extend  a  great,  prac¬ 
tical,  unselfish  ministry  of  this  kind,  we  should  promptly  do.  Such 
a  service  on  our  part  during  the  critical  months  which  lie  di¬ 
rectly  before  us,  together  with  the  unobtrusive,  truly  Christ-like 
work  which  our  secretaries  have  accomplished  during  the  last 
two  years  among  the  millions  of  Russian  prisoners  in  the  Mid¬ 
dle  Countries,  will  accomplish  more  than  all  other  influences 
combined  to  open  the  door  for  the  sending  forth  of  similar 
influences  during  the  years  following  the  war — years  in  which  the 
plastic  New  Russia  may  be  so  profoundly  and  so  permanently 
influenced. 


■  8 


| 


Speech  by  John  R.  Mott  at  a  Dinner  Given 
by  Mr.  Emanuel  Nobel  at  His  Home 
in  Petrograd,  June  21,  1917 

Mr.  Nobel,  and  Gentlemen:  After  the  felicitous  words  of 
our  honored  and  beloved  Ambassador,  Mr.  Francis,  it  is  not 
necessary  that  I  should  reiterate  the  expression  of  deepest  grati¬ 
tude  of  my  associates  and  myself  for  the  gracious  and  generous 
hospitality  of  our  host.  We  esteem  it  a  great  honor  and  privilege 
to  meet  in  the  home  of  one  who  is  associated  in  our  thoughts  with 
so  many  valuable  and  constructive  services  for  mankind,  and  also 
to  have  fellowship  this  evening  with  this  particular  group  of  men 
of  wide  outlook  and  of  responsiveness  to  the  highest  purposes 
which  move  men.  It  is  an  added  source  of  satisfaction  to  those 
of  us  who  belong  to  the  Special  Mission,  sent  by  President  Wil¬ 
son  to  Russia,  to  find  here  tonight  the  members  of  the  Council 
of  the  Miyak  Society.  One  of  the  purposes  of  our  Mission,  as 
emphasized  by  President  Wilson,  is  that  we  shall  study  ways  in 
which  Russia  and  America  can  best  cooperate.  The  Miyak  and 
its  work  constitute  one  of  the  finest  illustrations  of  unselfish 
cooperation  between  large-minded  and  large-hearted  citizens  of 
these  two  great  nations.  It  has  been  an  inspiring  sight  through 
all  the  recent  years  to  observe  how  in  this  organization  the 
streams  of  benevolence,  of  experience,  of  idealism,  and  of  practi¬ 
cal  working  efficiency  of  the  two  nationalities  have  blended  to 
the  mutual  helpfulness  of  both  peoples.  Thus  while  we  of  the 
Special  Mission  from  America  are  studying  and  discussing  the 
subject  of  cooperation  between  the  two  peoples,  you  of  this  benef¬ 
icent  society,  both  the  members  of  your  Council  and  your  able 
secretaries  as  well  as  your  unfailing  supporters  here  and  in 
America,  are  actually  exemplifying  a  splendid  cooperation. 

Although  this  is  my  fourth  visit  to  Russia,  it  is  the  first 
time  that  I  have  had  the  opportunity  to  travel  throughout  the 
vast  breadth  of  the  country  as  it  stretches  from  ocean  to  ocean. 


9 


As  I  have  journeyed  from  Vladivostok  to  Petrograd  and  as  I 
have  considered  more  thoroughly  than  ever  before  the  needs 
and  possibilities  of  the  great  cities  of  Russia,  I  have  been  asking 
myself  day  by  day :  Why  should  there  not  be  a  chain  of  Miyaks 
bringing  the  helpful  ministries  of  this  Society  to  the  young  men 
and  boys  of  all  the  principal  Russian  cities?  My  study  of  the 
valuable  and  constructive  work  accomplished  by  the  Miyak  in 
Petrograd  has  convinced  me  that  what  you  have  been  doing  here 
is  reproducible,  and  the  question  may  well  be  raised  whether  the 
time  is  not  at  hand  when  this  helpful  agency  should  be  trans¬ 
planted  gradually,  yet  as  rapidly  as  practicable,  first  to  Moscow 
and  then  to  other  leading  centers  of  population. 

We  are  living  in  the  most  eventful  and  critical  moment  in 
the  life  of  Russia.  It  is  a  time  of  upheaval  and  readjustment  to 
be  followed  in  the  near  future  by  a  period  of  significant  recon¬ 
struction.  At  such  a  moment  it  is  fitting  that  we  re-examine 
the  foundations  of  greatness  in  the  life  of  a  nation.  What  is  it 
that  makes  a  nation  truly  great?  Not  the  extent  of  its  territory 
or  dominions ;  not  the  size  of  its  population ;  not  the  number  of 
its  millionaires;  not  the  strength  and  output  of  its  industrial 
establishment — none  of  these  constitutes  the  real  source  of  great¬ 
ness  in  a  nation.  Moreover,  education  by  itself,  in  the  common 
acceptation  of  the  term,  cannot  ensure  true  national  greatness. 
We  all  know  that  one  of  the  best  educated  nations  in  the  world, 
if  not  the  best,  is  possibly  the  most  dangerous  nation.  Education 
simply  sharpens  the  weapons  and  makes  one  more  skillful  in  their 
use — but  uses  them  for  what  and  against  what?  It  was  said  of 
the  brilliant  Lorenzo  de’  Medici  that  “he  was  cultured  yet  cor¬ 
rupt,  wise  yet  cruel,  spending  the  morning  writing  a  sonnet  in 
praise  of  virtue  and  spending  the  night  in  vice.”  I  care  not  how 
well  educated  a  man  may  me,  if  he  has  low  ideals,  a  corrupt  heart 
and  an  ungoverned  will,  he  is  a  menace  to  society  and  a  seam 
of  weakness  in  the  life  of  the  nation.  What  then  makes  a  nation 
truly  great  ?  The  ideals,  the  character,  and  the  spirit  of  a  people ; 
and  history  shows  that  ideals  cannot  be  placed  and  held  at  their 
highest,  that  character  cannot  be  made  symmetrical  and  strong, 
and  that  the  spirit  cannot  be  made  free  and  triumphant  apart  from 
the  help  of  true  religion.  Therefore,  the  work  of  a  society  like 
the  Miyak,  which  corresponds  to  the  Young  Men’s  Christian 


10 


Association  of  America  and  other  lands,  is  striking  at  the  heart  of 
the  most  critical  problems  in  the  life  of  the  nation.  What  could 
be  more  important  than  to  make  sure  that  such  agencies  are  se¬ 
curely  planted,  ably  led  and  generously  supported  in  all  of  the 
principal  cities  of  Russia? 

There  is  another  field  in  Russia  for  the  work  of  the  Young 
Men's  Christian  Association  which  presents  an  even  more  urgent 
appeal  at  this  present  hour  and  that  is  the  millions  of  Russian 
young  men  in  the  army  and  navy.  The  war  has  reached  its  most 
critical  stage.  The  young  men  in  the  training  camps,  in  the 
reserve  camps,  and  in  the  trenches,  and  likewise  on  the  war  vessels 
and  at  the  naval  stations,  will  determine  more  than  any  other 
one  factor  the  outcome.  How  desirable  it  is  that  everything  pos¬ 
sible  be  done  to  preserve  among  them  a  high  morale,  efficient  ac¬ 
tion,  and  a  conquering  spirit.  The  experience  in  the  other  great 
armies  of  the  Allies  has  shown  conclusively  that  the  work  of 
these  Associations  has  accomplished  wonders  in  ensuring  these 
highly  desirable  and  essential  results.  Such  work  has  spread 
in  the  British  army  until  now  it  is  conducted  at  two  thousand 
different  points.  Since  the  war  began  they  have  expended  in 
support  of  such  Associations  nearly  four  million  pounds.  Thou¬ 
sands  of  efficient  secretaries  and  tens  of  thousands  of  unselfish 
volunteer  workers  are  busily  engaged  in  bringing  this  helpful 
ministry  to  their  five  millions  of  soldiers.  It  has  been  introduced 
with  like  success  into  the  brilliant  French  army,  that  army  which 
bas  made  such  a  remarkable  record  in  this  war.  At  hundreds  of 
points  in  the  garrison  cities,  in  the  reserve  camps,  and  now  quite 
near  the  fighting  lines,  they  have  established  these  Associations, 
known  as  Foyers  du  Soldat.  Since  coming  to  Petrograd  I  have 
received  a  cablegram  from  France  asking  tis  to  secure  and 
send  to  them  five  hundred  Americans,  to  enable  them  to  extend 
this  society  more  widely  and  rapidly  throughout  the  entire 
French  army.  Recently  also  the  Italian  Government  has  per¬ 
mitted  the  Association  to  begin  similar  work  among  their 
soldiers.  A  remarkable  service  has  been  accomplished  by 
this  society  in  that  army  which  has  had  to  endure  so  much 
suffering  and  strain,  the  one  in  Mesopotamia.  The  day  that 
America  decided  to  enter  the  war  a  telegram  was  sent  to  Presi¬ 
dent  Wilson  placing  at  the  disposal  of  the  American  Government 

it 

ll 


the  organization  of  the  Young  Men’s  Christian  Association.  He 
accepted  the  offer  with  most  hearty  appreciation  and  has  done 
everything  in  his  power  to  facilitate  the  work.  He  has  issued 
a  special  Executive  Order  calling  upon  the  officers  in  the  Ameri¬ 
can  army  to  give  the  Association  every  practical  facility  for  its 
work.  During  the  past  few  weeks  the  Association  has  called  upon 
and  received  from  the  American  people,  rich  and  poor,  for  the 
support  of  this  work  in  the  American  army  for  the  first  year  over 
four  million  dollars. 

We  have  been  glad  to  learn  that  at  several  points  in  different 
parts  of  Russia  within  the  last  few  weeks  similar  work  has  been 
organized  for  the  Russian  soldiers.  Is  this  not  a  most  opportune 
time  to  spread  these  agencies  for  the  physical,  mental,  and  moral 
betterment  of  the  soldiers  among  all  parts  of  the  great  Russian 
army  and  into  the  navy  as  well  ?  I  do  not  fear  for  soldiers  when 
they  are  fighting  or  when  they  are  drilling.  The  time  concerning 
which  I  have  anxiety  is  their  leisure  hours.  Every  soldier  has  a 
number  of  spare  hours  each  day.  Shall  these  hours  be  spent  in 
idleness,  in  dissipation,  and  in  unprofitable  agitation ;  or  shall  they 
be  spent  in  helpful  recreation,  in  growth  in  knowledge  and  mental 
efficiency,  in  strengthening  of  character,  and  in  unselfish  service 
among  one’s  fellows  ?  The  Young  Men’s  Christian  Association 
has  shown  itself  able  to  answer  this  vital  question  in  the  right 
way.  Therefore,  it  has  the  unqualified  endorsement  of  the  gen¬ 
erals  and  admirals  of  the  armies  and  navies  of  the  various  Allied 
countries  where  it  has  been  introduced.  We  bespeak  for  this  or¬ 
ganization  the  hearty  approval  and  cooperation  of  the  discerning 
leaders  of  Russia  and,  in  particular,  of  the  officers,  soldiers,  and 
sailors.  Let  me  in  closing  express  on  behalf  of  the  American  peo¬ 
ple  our  desire  to  cooperate  with  our  friends  in  Russia  in  every 
way  in  our  power  to  facilitate  the  development  of  this  helpful 
movement  among  your  soldiers  and  sailors  and  likewise  among 
other  classes  of  your  young  men.  We  in  America  feel  that  during 
the  last  three  years  you  have  indeed  been  fighting  our  battles  for 
us.  You  have  paid  tremendous  prices  which  we  can  never  ade¬ 
quately  repay.  Anything,  therefore,  which  we  can  possibly  do  to 
strengthen  your  hands  at  this  momentous  hour,  when  with  us  and 
the  other  Allies  you  press  on  to  achieve  the  full  purpose  of  the 
war,  we  will  gladly  do. 

12 


% 


Letter  from  Major-General  H.  L.  Scott  to 

John  R.  Mott 

Washington,  D.  C.,  August  10,  1917. 

Dear  Dr.  Mott: 

I  hope  you  will  push  the  plan  of  spreading  the  work  of  the 
Young  Men’s  Christian  Association  throughout  the  Russian 
Army.  Get  the  facts  before  the  President.  This  is  a  matter 
in  which  our  Government  should  cooperate  at  once.  It  will  also 
appeal  strongly  to  men  and  women  of  means  in  America. 

For  years  I  have  been  intimately  acquainted  with  the  good, 
practical  work  done  by  the  Young  Men’s  Christian  Association  in 
the  American  Army  and  Navy.  I  have  seen  its  helpful  activities 
in  the  Philippines,  in  Cuba,  on  our  Mexican  Border,  and  else¬ 
where.  We  could  not  have  done  without  it.  It  has  been  managed 
in  such  a  broadminded  and  wise  way  that  it  has  been  well  re¬ 
ceived  by  officers  and  enlisted  men  whose  views  on  other  ques¬ 
tions  have  differed  materially.  I  have  just  seen  much  of  the 
Russian  Army  on  the  German,  Austrian,  and  Roumanian  fronts, 
and  also  in  many  garrison  towns  of  Russia  and  Siberia,  and 
am  convinced  that  the  Association  work  should  be  immediately 
organized  in  this  great  army  in  order  to  ensure  the  contentment 
and  efficiency  of  the  men,  to  raise  their  morale,  and  to  help 
counteract  the  intriguing  propaganda  which  is  doing  so  much  to 
unsettle  them. 

The  Roumanian  situation  must  not  be  forgotten.  It  is  of 
tremendous  importance.  I  hear  good  reports  about  your  work 
in  the  French  Army.  I  am  not  surprised  that  General  Pershing 
wishes  to  have  it  rapidly  extended. 

I  need  not  emphasize  the  importance  of  your  choosing  the 
best  qualified  men  to  take  charge  of  this  work  in  the  armies  of 
our  Allies.  They  could  render  no  greater  service  to  our  country 
and  our  cause,  even  from  a  military  point  of  view,  than  to  help 
build  up  and  save  the  power  of  these  millions  of  men  on  whom 


13 


the  great  strain  comes.  Such  a  work  requires  the  best  men  you 
can  find. 

Sincerely  yours, 

H.  L.  SCOTT, 

Chief  of  Staff  of  the  United  States  Army. 

Dr.  John  R.  Mott, 

124  East  28th  Street, 

New  York  City. 


14 


Letter  from  John  R.  Mott  Regarding  Recent 
Religious  Developments  in  Russia 

U.  S.  S.  BUFFALO, 
Okhotsk  Sea,  July  24,  1917. 

As  you  know,  President  Wilson  early  in  May  appointed  a 
Special  Diplomatic  Mission  to  Russia  consisting  of  nine  men : 
Elihu  Root,  as  Chairman,  Major  General  Hugh  L.  Scott,  Rear 
Admiral  James  H.  Glennon,  Charles  R.  Crane,  Cyrus  H.  Mc¬ 
Cormick,  Samuel  R.  Bertron,  James  Duncan,  Charles  Edward 
Russell,  and  myself.  In  his  instructions  the  President  charged  us 
with  two  principal  duties — to  convey  to  the  Government  and  peo¬ 
ple  of  Russia  the  expression  of  the  sympathy  and  good  will  of  the 
American  Government  and  people ;  and  to  consider  ways  in  which 
the  two  governments  can  best  cooperate  in  the  work  of  achieving 
the  objects  of  the  war.  We  left  Washington  on  May  15  and 
reached  Petrograd  on  June  13.  After  spending  four  weeks  in 
most  intense  and  profitable  work,  we  have  accomplished  the  main 
purpose  of  our  Mission,  and  are  now  on  our  way  home.  Not  until 
we  have  rendered  our  official  report  to  the  President  can  we 
speak  of  the  political  and  diplomatic  aspects  of  our  work.  There 
are,  however,  certain  impressions  and  experiences  on  which  we 
are  free  to  comment.  It  has  occurred  to  me  that  you  might  be 
interested  in  my  observations  and  contacts  in  connection  with  the 
Church  while  in  Russia. 

The  attention  of  the  world  has  been  so  much  absorbed  with 
the  political  and  social  revolution  in  Russia  that  comparatively 
little  has  been  said  regarding  what  is  in  some  respects  equally  re¬ 
markable — the  wonderful  religious  changes  now  in  progress  in 
that  country,  especially  in  relation  to  the  Russian  Orthodox 
Church.  The  High  Procurator  of  the  Holy  Synod  told  me  just 
before  I  left  Russia  that  greater  and  more  significant  changes 
had  been  effected  in  the  Church  during  the  preceding  month  than 
in  the  past  two  hundred  years.  He  insisted,  and  the  facts  would 
seem  to  support  him,  that  these  changes  have  amounted  to  nothing 

IS 


less  than  a  revolution.  In  the  first  place,  religious  tolerance  has 
at  last  been  achieved  in  Russia.  All  religions  now  stand  on  an 
equality.  Men  everywhere  are  free  to  worship  God  according  to 
their  own  convictions  and  forms.  They  are  also  at  liberty  to 
organize  their  own  religious  associations,  and  to  conduct  their 
work  without  restriction.  Even  the  Jews  now  have  equal  rights 
before  the  law  and  an  end  has  come  to  the  long  tragedy  of  perse¬ 
cutions,  humiliations,  and  massacres.  The  attitude  of  any  Chris¬ 
tian  nation  toward  the  Jews  is  among  the  most  searching  tests  of 
the  character  of  its  freedom.  Many  other  sects  for  generations 
most  severely  oppressed  have  come  out  into  the  larger  life  and 
liberty. 

The  Russian  Orthodox  Church  is  undergoing  a  complete 
reorganization.  The  process  may  best  be  defined  as  a  democrati¬ 
zation  of  the  Church.  There  has  come  a  complete  break  with 
the  old  bureaucratic  regime.  The  power  of  the  Church  is  being 
decentralized.  Its  provincial  government  will  be  rapidly  devel¬ 
oped.  Parish,  district,  and  diocesan  councils  and  committees  are 
being  formed  or  reconstituted,  and  have  been  given  the  freedom 
and  authority  necessary  to  ensure  the  best  life  of  the  Church.  The 
democratic  principle  has  been  applied  to  the  election  of  many 
of  the  clergy.  Already  twelve  bishops  have  been  elected  by  popu¬ 
lar  vote,  including  those  of  Petrograd  and  Moscow.  A  plan  is 
being  perfected  by  which  the  Holy  Synod  will  be  elected  by  the 
Church  itself,  through  a  properly  constituted  national  assembly 
or  council. 

The  various  extraordinary  changes  which  are  taking  place 
so  rapidly  in  the  outer  organization  and  administration  of  the 
Church  are  but  a  reflection  of  an  equally  striking  internal  refor¬ 
mation.  The  Russian  Church  undoubtedly  sank  to  its  lowest 
level  of  life  and  influence  during  the  last  year,  in  connection  with 
the  shocking  and  almost  unbelievable  Rasputin  scandal.  With 
the  shaking  off  of  the  old  servitude,  which  has  come  with  the 
great  Revolution,  the  Russian  Church  has  broken  out  into  new 
life.  Questionable  practices  have  been  abandoned,  old  corrup¬ 
tions  have  been  cast  aside,  and  the  work  of  purification  is  ad¬ 
vancing  apace.  A  special  commission  is  at  work  on  purifying 
the  life  of  the  seminaries.  In  many  quarters  one  finds  refreshing 
signs  of  spiritual  quickening. 


16 


One  of  the  most  hopeful  developments  is  that  in  the  direction 
of  increasing  the  working  efficiency  of  the  Church.  The  Great 
Sobor,  or  Council,  held  in  Moscow  in  the  month  of  June,  devoted 
itself  throughout  the  entire  ten  days  to  this  task.  It  accomplished 
a  solid  constructive  work  in  the  direction  of  improving  the  parish 
life  of  the  churches,  in  defining  new  relations  which  should  exist 
between  the  Church  and  the  State,  in  determining  wise  plans  for 
the  development  of  parish  schools,  in  calling  out  more  largely  the 
latent  lay  forces,  and  above  all,  in  devising  ways  and  means  of 
improving  the  work  of  the  clergy. 

A  strong  and  representative  commission  is  at  work  revising 
the  curriculum  of  the  ecclesiastical  academies  and  seminaries. 
Measures  are  being  taken  also  to  transform  certain  of  the  monas¬ 
teries,  which  had  passed  into  a  stage  of  decline  and  lifelessness, 
into  institutions  for  scholastic  research,  and  for  the  uplifting  of 
the  life  of  the  Church  through  carrying  to  the  people  the  Gospel 
by  word  and  by  print.  That  all  these  progressive  movements 
and  tendencies  may  be  strengthened  and  carried  forward  to  full 
fruition,  it  has  been  decided  that  there  shall  be  held,  beginning 
late  in  August,  in  the  city  of  Moscow,  an  Extraordinary  Council 
of  the  Russian  Church.  A  Preparation  Committee,  composed  of 
the  Holy  Synod  and  some  forty  of  the  other  most  influential 
leaders  of  the  Church,  is  at  work  perfecting  the  plans  for  this 
gathering,  and  will  continue  its  labors  until  the  Council  assembles. 

Another  sign  of  large  encouragement  is  the  movement  in  the 
direction  of  closer  Christian  fellowship  and  unity  among  the  dif¬ 
ferent  Christian  bodies  in  Russia.  It  has  been  decided  to  invite 
to  the  great  Council,  so  soon  to  assemble,  representatives  of  the 
Old  Believers,  the  principal  dissenting  sect  in  Russia — a  sect  num¬ 
bering  over  twelve  millions  of  members  which  has  been  bitterly 
persecuted  for  over  two  hundred  years — and  the  invitation  has 
been  accepted.  Negotiations  of  peculiar  interest  and  significance 
have  been  entered  into  between  the  ecclesiastics  of  the  Orthodox 
and  Roman  Catholic  Communions.  As  a  result,  it  is  probable 
that  the  latter  body  will  hold  a  Church  Council  or  Assembly  at 
the  time  that  the  great  Council  of  the  Orthodox  Church  is  in 
session.  Attention  should  also  be  called  to  the  multiplying  sym¬ 
pathetic  points  of  contact  between  Protestant  Christians  and  the 
Russian  Church.  An  illustration  is  that  of  my  own  experience 


17 


while  in  Russia.  I  will  enlarge  upon  this  because  it  will  serve  to 
enforce  what  has  been  said  regarding  the  striking  change  which 
has  come  over  the  religious  situation  in  Russia. 

Within  a  few  days  after  we  reached  Russia,  I  was  invited, 
along  with  my  associate,  Mr.  Crane,  to  attend  the  Great  Sobor 
of  the  Russian  Orthodox  Church  then  in  session  in  Moscow. 
By  Sobor  is  meant  what  would  be  called  in  the  Presbyterian 
Church  at  home  a  General  Assembly,  or  in  the  Episcopal 
Church  a  General  Convention,  or  in  the  Methodist  Church 
a  General  Conference.  These  are  poor  analogies,  because  this 
Sobor  is  one  of  unique  importance,  being  the  first  representative 
national  gathering  held  by  the  Russian  Church  in  a  period  of 
over  two  hundred  years — that  is,  since  1682.  It  was  attended  by 
1,072  official  delegates,  each  one  hundred  parishes  being  entitled 
to  send  as  representatives  two  priests  and  two  laymen.  In  addi¬ 
tion  to  the  delegates  sent  by  the  parishes,  the  Holy  Synod  had 
appointed  as  delegates  several  leading  bishops.  Every  part  of 
Russia  was  represented.  During  the  ten  days  that  the  Sobor  was 
in  session  part  of  the  time  was  devoted  to  sectional  meetings  and 
the  rest  to  plenary  meetings.  The  recommendations  of  the  sec¬ 
tional  gatherings  were  presented  to  the  main  sessions,  where  they 
were  discussed  and  adopted.  Archbishop  Platon,  formerly  at  the 
head  of  the  Russian  Church  in  America,  invited  me  to  give  a 
formal  address  before  the  Sobor.  As  good  fortune  would  have 
it,  I  found  among  the  delegates  Father  Alexandrof,  the  Russian 
priest  at  San  Francisco,  who  speaks  English  very  well.  We  had 
met  before,  having  attended  together  one  of  our  Association  con¬ 
ventions  in  America.  He  proved  an  ideal  interpreter.  I  spoke  for 
an  hour,  bringing  first  a  message  of  gratitude  from  America  to  the 
Russian  Christians ;  secondly,  a  message  of  solicitude  and  caution 
to  the  Russian  Church  in  this  critical  hour  in  the  life  of  the 
nation;  and  thirdly,  a  message  of  hope  or  reassurance.  My  ad¬ 
dress  was  received  throughout  with  most  evident  sympathy  and 
enthusiasm.  At  least  a  score  of  times  during  the  address  the  en¬ 
tire  audience  arose,  this  being  a  sign  of  most  signal  approval. 
It  was  a  striking  fact  that  these  manifestations  came  in  connec¬ 
tion  with  the  most  significant  and  vital  points.  At  the  end  of 
the  address  the  delegates  rose  instantly  and  joined  in  one  of  their 
church  hymns,  calling  upon  the  Holy  Spirit  to  come  upon  us. 

18 


They  followed  this  with  the  famous  Russian  song,  “Many  Years,” 
and  this  was  succeeded  by  another  spiritual  hymn.  Then  came 
four  speeches  in  response  to  the  message  and  in  appreciation  of 
the  fact  that  Mr.  Crane  and  I  had  come  to  them  as  the  repre¬ 
sentatives  of  President  Wilson  and  of  the  American  people.  The 
first  of  these  speeches  was  made  by  the  president  of  the  Sobor, 
a  distinguished  professor  of  Moscow  University.  The  next  speech 
was  by  Bishop  Andrew  of  Ufa,  speaking  on  behalf  of  the  Bish¬ 
ops.  He  was  followed  by  Prince  Troubetskoy,  who  is  likewise  a 
professor  in  the  University.  The  last  address  of  thanks  was 
made  by  the  High  Procurator  of  the  Holy  Synod.  In  no  gather¬ 
ing  of  Protestant  Christians,  or  those  of  any  other  communion, 
have  I  ever  been  received  more  whole-heartedly. 

A  few  days  later,  on  my  return  to  Petrograd,  another  oppor¬ 
tunity  presented  itself — one  which  seems  almost  incredible.  I  was 
invited  by  the  High  Procurator  to  give  an  address  before  the 
Holy  Synod  and  other  leaders  of  the  Russian  Church,  who  had 
assembled  to  lay  plans  for  the  Extraordinary  Council  of  the 
Church  to  be  held  at  the  end  of  August.  I  began  by  congratulating 
the  leaders  of  the  Russian  Church  on  its  achievements  throughout 
the  centuries,  giving  in  outline  the  principal  results  accomplished. 
Then  I  congratulated  them  on  the  present  opportunities  before 
the  Church  in  Russia  and  beyond  its  borders,  and  likewise  upon 
the  grave  difficulties  which  beset  the  Church  in  this  time 
of  upheaval  and  change,  reminding  them  of  the  value  of 
difficulties  in  calling  out  our  latent  energies  and  in  deep¬ 
ening  our  acquaintance  with  God.  After  that  I  congrat¬ 
ulated  them  on  the  future,  showing  them  why  the  best 
days  of  the  Russian  Church  lie  in  the  years  just  before 
us.  The  next  heading  of  my  address  dealt  with  the  eight 
most  distinctive  contributions  which  American  Christian- 
*  ity  has  made  to  the  common  Christianity  of  the  world.  One 
had  in  view  in  such  a  presentation  the  bringing  of  influence  to 
bear  indirectly  on  the  Russian  Church  itself,  because  the  strong 
points  in  the  religious  life  of  America  are  among  the  very  aspects 
of  the  Russian  Church  which  most  need  to  receive  constructive 
attention.  These  outstanding  leaders  of  the  Christian  forces  of 
the  country  listened  with  unmistakable  sympathy,  and  when  I 
had  finished,  the  President,  Archbishop  Platon,  also  the  High 


IP 


Procurator  and  others  expressed  their  sincere  appreciation.  I 
was  assured  by  those  present  that,  so  far  as  the  Church  is  con¬ 
cerned,  the  way  is  now  open  in  Russia  for  our  Association  Move¬ 
ment.  While  I  was  present  with  the  Holy  Synod  two  significant 
steps  were  taken.  It  was  voted  to  hold  in  Moscow,  beginning 
about  the  end  of  August,  the  Extraordinary  Council  of  the  Rus¬ 
sian  Church,  to  which  I  have  already  referred.  They  also  agreed 
unanimously  that  one  of  the  objects  of  the  Council  is  to  facili¬ 
tate  the  union  of  the  Orthodox  Church  and  the  Old  Believers. 
A  delegate  from  the  latter  body  who  was  present  responded  in 
the  finest  spirit  to  the  overtures  of  the  Orthodox  Church.  When 
one  thinks  of  the  terrible  persecutions  which  the  Old  Believers 
have  suffered  at  the  hands  of  the  State  Church,  the  drawing  to¬ 
gether  of  these  great  communions  seems  indeed  wonderful.  It 
will  interest  you  to  know  that  the  meeting  on  this  day  was  held 
in  the  home  of  Pobiedonostzev,  the  former,  famous,  most  able, 
and  much  feared  High  Procurator  of  the  Holy  Synod.  When 
I  reflected  on  the  reactionary,  relentless,  and  cruel  way  in  which 
he  administered  the  affairs  of  the  Church,  I  found  it  difficult  to 
realize  that  I  had  actually  been  accorded  such  an  opportunity,  and 
that  I  had  lived  to  see  the  day  of  so  great  transformation. 

With  Mr.  Crane  I  returned  to  Moscow  to  witness  on  July  4 
a  significant  event — the  election  of  the  new  Metropolitan.  We 
first  saw  the  procession  of  ecclesiastics  and  delegates  march  to 
the  Cathedral  of  Our  Saviour  where  the  election  and  the  accom¬ 
panying  ceremonies  were  to  take  place.  It  was  an  impressive 
sight  to  witness  this  picturesque  company  bearing  various  sacred 
ikons  and  other  insignia  of  the  Church,  and  also  the  surging 
crowds  of  peasants  and  towns-folk  lining  the  streets  and  following 
the  procession.  Only  the  eight  hundred  delegates  and  the  offi¬ 
ciating  church  leaders  were  admitted  to  the  floor  of  the  Cathedral. 
Everybody  else  had  to  stand  in  the  galleries  and  it  was  not  easy 
to  obtain  tickets  even  for  this  privilege.  On  our  arrival  the  day 
before,  the  members  of  the  Sobor  had  voted  unanimously  to  admit 
Mr.  Crane  and  myself  to  the  floor,  because  they  regarded  us  as 
special  ambassadors  from  the  Christians  of  America.  They, 
therefore,  gave  us  a  place  of  honor  on  the  platform  before  the 
ikonostas.  The  eight  hundred  delegates  included  men  in  every 
walk  of  life  from  princes  to  peasants.  They  constituted  one  of 


20 


the  most  fascinating  sights  which  I  have  witnessed  in  any  gath¬ 
ering.  First  came  the  regular  ritual  service  of  the  Russian  Ortho¬ 
dox  Church,  closing  with  the  Holy  Communion.  The  Arch¬ 
bishop  of  Yaroslav  officiated,  and  several  bishops  and  other 
church  dignitaries  assisted.  The  service,  which  lasted  nearly 
three  hours,  was  conducted  with  great  solemnity  and  reverence 
and  with  evident  depth  of  feeling.  In  this  respect  I  know  of 
no  body  of  Christians  who  surpass  the  Russians.  On  this  day 
the  singing  was  largely  congregational.  Over  one-third  of  the 
time  was  spent  in  singing  responses,  chants,  psalms,  and  hymns. 
It  would  be  impossible  to  describe  the  effect  of  the  united  wor¬ 
ship  and  praise  of  these  hundreds  of  devout  Christians.  After 
the  formal  service  was  finished,  the  delegates  proceeded  at  once 
to  the  election  of  the  Metropolitan.  This  was  conducted  in  the 
body  of  the  church,  and  continued  for  several  hours.  It  was  a 
most  orderly  proceeding.  There  were  four  different  ballot  boxes 
to  facilitate  the  casting  of  the  votes.  In  the  presence  of  the 
delegates  and  the  crowds  in  the  galleries  the  votes  were  counted. 
There  were  four  or  five  candidates,  the  two  highest  in  the  list 
being  Archbishop  Tikhon,  who  received  481  votes,  and  a  promi¬ 
nent  layman,  Mr,  Samarin,  who  received  303.  Archbishop  Tik¬ 
hon,  the  successful  candidate,  was  for  several  years  Bishop  of  the 
Russian  Church  in  America,  and  before  he  left  there  became  its 
first  Archbishop.  He  is  a  man  of  the  finest  character,  and  his 
election  met  with  general  approval,  although  the  principal  rival 
candidate  had  a  strong  following.  After  the  vote  was  announced 
by  the  officers  of  the  election,  the  Bishops  gave  careful  consid¬ 
eration  to  the  result,  and  then  came  forward  and  endorsed  the 
choice  of  the  delegates.  The  whole  company  joined  in  the  sing¬ 
ing  of  the  Te  Deum.  This  was  followed  by  the  singing  of 
“Many  Years”  for  the  newly  elected  Metropolitan. 

Between  the  church  service  and  the  election  Mr.  Crane  and 
I  were  summoned  to  go  behind  the  altar,  and  while  there  Arch¬ 
priest  Lubimoff  of  Moscow  presented  each  of  us  with  a  sacred 
ikon,  in  view  of  the  service  which  we  had  rendered  Russia,  and 
in  recognition  of  our  relation  to  the  Christian  Movement 
throughout  the  world.  The  ikon  presented  to  me  is  one  repre¬ 
senting  our  Lord  and  was  taken  from  the  ikonostas  of  the  Us¬ 
pensky  Cathedral,  where  it  had  been  for  centuries.  It  is  one  of 


21 


the  fourteenth  century,  and  they  told  me  it  is  priceless.  You  will 
recall  this  cathedral  as  one  of  the  oldest  in  Russia,  and  the  one 
in  which  the  Czars  were  crowned.  In  presenting  me  the  ikon, 
the  Archpriest  quite  clearly  referred  to  the  fact  of  my  being 
a  Protestant,  but  said  that  they  recognized  my  oneness  with  them 
in  our  belief  in  the  one  Divine  Saviour.  He  also  referred  to  the 
service  which  we  have  rendered  during  the  war  to  the  more  than 
two  million  Russian  prisoners  in  Germany  and  Austria-Hungary. 
He  has  a  son,  a  graduate  of  Moscow  University,  who  is  in  one 
of  these  prisoner-of-war  camps  in  Germany.  He  told  me  that 
this  son  had  written  him  repeatedly  about  the  helpfulness  of 
our  Association,  and  that  while  in  it  he  had  learned  the  English 
language.  I  told  him  that  we  would  arrange  to  have  sent  to 
his  son  from  Copenhagen  every  two  weeks  a  parcel  of  food. 
This  moved  the  old  man  to  tears. 

(Sunday,  July  1,  was  also  a  notable  day  in  the  relations  be¬ 
tween  the  Russian  Orthodox  Church  and  American  Protestant 
Christianity.  Largely  as  a  result  of  the  intercourse  we  had  had 
with  the  leaders  of  the  Russian  Church  in  the  Sobor  at  Moscow, 
and  in  the  meeting  with  the  Holy  Synod,  some  of  the  Russian 
ecclesiastics  expressed  their  desire  to  have  a  special  service  con¬ 
ducted  in  one  of  their  principal  churches  in  recognition  of  the 
presence  and  help  of  the  American  Mission.  The  Kasan  Ca¬ 
thedral  on  Nevski  Prospekt  in  Petrograd  was  selected  as  a 
most  desirable  place  for  the  purpose.  The  service  lasted  from 
ten  o'clock  until  about  one.  The  saintly  and  noble  Archbishop 
Platon,  who  did  such  wonderful  work  for  the  cause  of  Christ  in 
America,  officiated  at  the  service  and  celebrated  Holy  Com¬ 
munion.  The  majority  of  the  members  of  our  Mission  attended, 
also  members  of  the  Railroad  Commission  of  which  Mr.  Stevens 
is  Chairman,  the  American  Ambassador  and  his  staff,  and  several 
other  Americans.  We  were  given  a  prominent  place  to  stand 
on  the  platform  facing  the  choir.  As  the  service  advanced  the 
attendance  grew,  until  people  were  standing  in  all  parts  of  the 
great  enclosure  and  were  massed  in  large  numbers  at  the  front. 
Many  bishops,  priests,  archpriests,  and  deacons  participated  in 
the  elaborate  ritual,  which  I  have  never  seen  conducted  more 
impressively  than  it  was  on  this  occasion.  The  choir  sang  not 
only  the  customary  responses,  but  also  a  number  of  deeply  mov- 


22 


ing  selections.  A  most  unusual  circumstance  was  the  fact  that 
Archbishop  Platon,  while  celebrating  the  Holy  Communion  did 
so  in  part  in  the  English  language.  Moreover,  about  the  middle 
of  the  service,  Father  Alexandrof,  of  San  Francisco,  who  had 
been  my  interpreter  at  the  important  religious  gatherings,  read 
in  English  the  gospel  lesson  for  the  day,  and  preached  in  Eng¬ 
lish  an  effective  sermon  on  the  Good  Samaritan.  He  called 
attention  to  the  timeliness  and  great  significance  of  the  fact  that 
America  had  come  to  them  in  this  most  critical  moment  in  the 
history  of  Russia,  and  begged  America  indeed  not  to  “pass  by 
on  the  other  side”  Russia  in  her  hour  of  need,  but  to  be  to  her 
a  good  Samaritan.  He  said:  “The  Russian  people  know  how 
to  be  grateful ;  they  will  never  forget  America’s  kindness.” 

As  the  service  came  towards  its  climax  a  most  unusual 
thing  took  place.  One  of  the  priests  came  to  the  Americans  and 
invited  them  to  go  behind  the  ikonostas,  where  we  observed  the 
Archbishop  administer  the  Holy  Communion  in  both  kinds  to 
the  bishops  and  priests  who  were  present.  Then  some  of  our 
number  were  called  forward  and  the  Archbishop  administered 
the  Holy  Communion  to  each  of  us.  He  also  presented  to  each 
one  of  us  a  little  loaf  of  the  sacred,  or  blessed,  bread.  We  then 
returned  to  the  place  where  we  had  stood  throughout  the  early 
part  of  the  service.  The  closing  moments  were  more  over¬ 
powering  than  ever  in  impressiveness.  Possibly  the  most  moving 
part  was  when  the  vast  audience  broke  out  and  sang  together 
in  perfect  unison  and  with  deep  feeling  the  Lord’s  Prayer.  There 
followed  a  period  of  intercession,  led  by  one  of  the  priests, 
when  they  prayed  for  the  army,  for  the  President  and  people 
of  the  United  States,  for  the  Allies,  for  all  the  Americans  present, 
for  the  Russian  prisoners  of  war,  for  the  Provisional  Govern¬ 
ment,  and  for  other  objects  of  special  concern.  At  the  end  of 
the  service  the  Archbishop  came  from  the  altar  behind  the 
ikonostas  and,  standing  at  the  chancel  where  the  vast  audience 
stood  as  close  to  him  as  possible,  he  preached  to  them  a  mar¬ 
velous  sermon.  I  was  told,  by  one  who  understands  the  Russian 
language,  that  it  was  a  model  of  pastoral  eloquence.  A  large 
section  of  his  sermon  was  devoted  to  telling  the  people  about 
the  Christians  in  America.  He  characterized,  with  aptness,  what 
they  have  in  common  with  the  Russian  Christians.  He  frankly 


23 


admitted  the  differences,  but  insisted  that  they  were  minor  in 
contrast  with  the  vital,  essential  points  which  unite  us  all.  He 
ended  by  an  appeal  for  Christian  unity.  Then  there  came  a 
special  prayer  for  the  unity  of  all  believers  in  accord  with  the 
prayer  of  our  Lord. 

Another  opportunity  of  unique  importance  was  that  which 
came  to  me  through  an  invitation  to  meet  with  the  Commission 
appointed  by  the  Holy  Synod  to  Revise  the  Curriculum  of  the 
Ecclesiastical  Academies  and  Seminaries.  Among  their  number 
were  leading  professors  and  teachers  of  the  institutions  con¬ 
cerned,  as  well  as  of  the  universities,  together  with  other  educa¬ 
tional  authorities.  I  was  asked  not  only  to  participate  in  the 
discussion  but  to  give  an  address.  It  afforded  me  opportunity 
to  point  out  recent  developments  and  modern  tendencies  in  theo¬ 
logical  education  in  America  and  Europe.  Among  the  principal 
points  which  I  developed,  and  which  apparently  had  special  and 
timely  application  to  the  needs  in  Russia  were :  The  advantages 
of  closer  association  of  theological  students  and  those  of  other 
faculties  and  callings;  the  desirability  of  extending  the  theo¬ 
logical  course  or  at  least  of  making  suitable  provision  for  ad¬ 
vanced  studies ;  the  combination,  in  proper  proportions  and  with 
the  wisest  guidance,  of  practical  experience  in  Christian  service 
with  the  regular  scholastic  work ;  the  giving  of  larger  attention 
to  those  studies  which  prepare  the  future  leaders  of  the  Church 
to  bring  to  bear  the  Christian  Gospel  on  the  social  problems  of 
our  time ;  the  preparation  of  church  leaders  for  meeting  the 
unparalleled  missionary  opportunity  and  responsibility  of  this 
generation;  the  furnishing  of  an  apologetic  calculated  to  enable 
the  clergy  to  command  the  intellectual  confidence  and  following 
of  thoughtful  unbelievers;  the  holding  in  true  prominence  of 
those  studies  and  exercises  which  ensure  vital  Christian  experi¬ 
ence  and  true  growth  in  spiritual  apprehension  and  power.  In 
the  light  of  my  study  of  the  needs  and  requirements  of  the  Rus¬ 
sian  priesthood,  it  would  be  difficult  to  indicate  which  of  these 
points  could  wisely  be  omitted,  or  which  of  them  needs  chief 
emphasis.  Considering  the  present  political,  social,  economic, 
and  religious  problems  of  Russia,  I  would  say  without  hesitation 
that  by  far  the  most  critical  is  that  which  has  to  do  with  ensuring 
an  able  leadership  of  the  Christian  forces  of  the  nation. 


24 


Much  time  was  devoted  to  unhurried  interviews  with  the 
recognized  leaders  of  the  Russian  Church — metropolitans,  arch¬ 
bishops,  bishops,  and  clergymen,  as  well  as  professors,  editors, 
and  other  intelligent  and  sympathetic  laymen.  I  had  eight  ex¬ 
tended  visits  of  from  two  to  five  hours  each  with  the  High 
Procurator  of  the  Holy  Synod.  He  has  proved  to  be  the  man 
for  this  difficult  hour.  He  has  the  requisite  background  in 
knowledge  of  the  Russian  Church — its  history,  institutions,  ana 
genius.  He  has  a  vivid  realization  of  the  Church’s  recent  lapses 
and  present  needs.  He  possesses  the  singleness  of  eye,  the  un¬ 
selfish  motive,  the  dauntless  courage,  the  indifference  to  obstacles, 
and  the  dogged  perseverance  so  necessary  for  dealing  properly 
with  the  present  large  and  difficult  situation.  It  remains  to  be 
seen  whether  his  constructive  capacity  is  equal  to  the  demands 
of  this  momentous  year.  I  was  encouraged  by  his  open-minded¬ 
ness  and  evident  willingness  and  eagerness  to  receive  advice. 
I  discussed  with  him  with  the  greatest  fullness  and  particularity 
his  plans  and  problems,  and  he  repeatedly  expressed  his  desire 
that  I  continue  to  keep  in  close  touch  with  him.  Here  is  a  man 
who  should  be  supported  by  the  intercession  of  all  well-wishers 
of  the  new  Russia,  for  no  one  is  in  a  position  to  do  more  to 
influence  its  destiny. 

My  relation  to  the  religious  life  of  Russia  was  not  confined 
to  my  contacts  with  the  Orthodox  Church.  I  sought  and  im¬ 
proved  opportunities  to  come  into  helpful  touch  with  other 
religious  bodies  and  movements.  Never  shall  I  forget  the  long 
evening  spent  with  the  Archbishop  and  the  group  of  principal 
bishops  of  the  largest  dissenting  sect — the  Old  Believers,  who, 
as  already  stated,  number  not  less  than  twelve  millions.  This 
meeting  was  held  in  the  simply  furnished  little  log  house  of  the 
Archbishop  on  the  outskirts  of  Moscow.  We  gathered  in  a 
quiet  room  around  one  flickering  candle,  and  talked  late  into  the 
night  about  the  characteristics,  persecutions,  present-day  prob¬ 
lems  and  aspirations  of  this  body  of  Christians  who,  by  every 
test,  have  so  well  earned  the  right  to  be  counted  among  Christ’s 
true  followers.  These  humble  leaders  showed  their  genuine 
gratitude  and  affection  in  a  way  that  left  a  deep  impression  upon 
Mr.  Crane  and  myself  by  bringing  together  on  the  following  day 
from  many  of  their  churches  their  best  singers  and  with  this 

25 


massed  choir  they  had  sung  for  us,  with  the  unison  and  wonder¬ 
ful  depth  of  religious  fervor  which  characterize  the  singing  of 
this  sect,  some  fifteen  of  their  most  remarkable  religious  hymns, 
chants,  and  prayers. 

I  met  with  the  representatives  of  other  Russian  sects  as  I 
had  opportunity.  I  also  had  most  profitable  conferences  with 
representatives  of  the  Protestant  forces  in  Russia,  notably  with 
Dr.  Keen  of  the  British  and  Foreign  Bible  Society  and  with  Dr. 
Simons  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  both  of  whom  are 
conducting  their  work  with  great  wisdom  and  evident  accept¬ 
ance.  Memorable  interviews  were  also  had  with  the  most  dis¬ 
tinguished  and  best  trusted  leaders  of  the  seven  millions  of  Rus¬ 
sian  and  Polish  Jews,  which  enabled  me  to  penetrate  more  deeply 
than  ever  before  into  the  heart  of  their  problems.  I  am  glad  to 
believe  that  the  Russian  Revolution  has  at  last  ushered  in  a  day 
of  hope  for  these  long-persecuted  people.  My  conference  with 
the  Roman  Catholic  Bishop  and  with  other  representatives  of 
that  communion  was  likewise  very  satisfactory.  One  of  the  most 
memorable  meetings  which  I  had  was  with  this  Bishop  and  the 
High  Procurator  of  the  Holy  Synod  of  the  Orthodox  Church. 
At  the  beginning  of  our  conference  I  said:  ‘‘Here  we  are,  repre¬ 
sentatives  of  the  three  great  Christian  communions,  Protestant, 
Roman  Catholic,  and  Russian  Orthodox.  We  have  one  Christ 
and  one  enemy.  Though  we  differ  on  not  a  few  points  which 
each  of  us  regards  as  vital,  that  which  would  unite  us  is  so  much 
more  important  that  we  should  never  cease  to  work  and  to  pray 
that  we  may  some  day  enter  into  the  full  unity  which  our  Lord 
has  had  in  view  for  all  His  disciples.”  They  both  responded 
with  manifest  sympathy  to  these  words.  We  did  not  find  it 
difficult,  in  the  shadow  of  the  tragedy  of  the  great  war  and  its 
overpowering  sufferings,  to  find  much  ground  for  common  action. 


26 


Address  of  John  R.  Mott,  at  the  Great  Sobor 
of  the  Russian  Orthodox  Church, 
Moscow,  June  19,  1917 

Mr.  President,  and  Members  of  the  Great  Sobor:  My  friend, 
Mr.  Crane,  and  I  have  been  profoundly  touched  by  your  whole- 
souled  welcome.  We  appreciate  most  sincerely  the  high  honor 
you  have  conferred  upon  us  in  granting  us  the  rare  privilege  of 
coming  among  you  and  of  participating  in  your  significant 
assembly.  We  come  in  the  name  of  the  President  and  people  of 
the  United  States  of  America.  President  Wilson  in  appointing 
a  Special  Mission  to  Russia  consisting  of  our  seven  associates 
and  ourselves  and  having  at  its  head  Senator  Root,  one  of  our 
most  eminent  American  statesmen,  charged  us  with  the  responsi¬ 
bility  of  conveying  to  the  entire  Russian  nation  the  expression 
of  the  sympathy  and  good  will  of  America  at  this  momentous 
period  of  their  history.  We  have  recognized  clearly  that  if  our 
message  is  to  reach  the  entire  Russian  nation  and  people  it  must 
be  brought  to  the  Russian  Orthodox  Church  because  we  well 
know  that  your  great  Church  constitutes  indeed  the  heart  of 

Russia. 

Through  all  the  years  of  the  life  of  the  American  nation  we 
have  been  bound  to  Russia  by  ties  of  friendship.  They  have  been 
years  of  unbroken  peace  and  of  mutual  helpfulness.  The  Russian 
Revolution  with  its  triumph  of  democratic  principles  has  estab¬ 
lished  a  new  bond  between  these  two  great  democracies.  An 
even  stronger  bond  was  created  when  America  decided  to  enter 
the  world  war  and  thus  to  identify  herself  with  Russia  in  the 
great  life  and  death  struggle.  What  unity  can  be  stronger  than 
that  which  causes  peoples  to  mingle  for  common  ideals  and 
purposes  their  very  life  blood?  Just  as  the  juices  of  the  separate 
grapes  are  poured  together  under  the  pressure  of  the  wine  press 
so  this  titanic  and  unparalleled  struggle  which  calls  upon  our 
two  peoples  to  lay  down  on  the  altar  of  the  world’s  liberty  our 
best  life  blood  will  serve,  as  no  other  experience,  to  establish  a 


27 


deep  and  permanent  unity  between  the  Russian  and  American 
nations. 

The  best  way  in  which  we  can  voice  our  sense  of  apprecia¬ 
tion  of  your  welcome  is  to  say  quite  simply  and  sincerely  that 
we  feel  entirely  at  home  as  we  come  among  you.  It  has  been 
the  privilege  of  both  Mr.  Crane  and  myself  to  maintain  an  inti¬ 
mate  touch  with  many  of  the  leaders  and  members  of  the  various 
Eastern  Churches.  Only  a  few  years  ago  while  in  the  Levant 
I  had  the  honor  of  meeting  with  the  Patriarchs  of  Constantinople, 
Jerusalem,  Alexandria,  and  Antioch  and  also  of  visiting  the  ec¬ 
clesiastical  academies  and  theological  seminaries  on  the  Island 
of  Halki,  where  through  the  kind  arrangement  of  the  Ecumenical 
Patriarch  I  gave  addresses  to  the  students  and  professors,  and 
also  in  Servia,  Bulgaria,  Greece,  and  Egypt.  We  have  likewise 
valued  highly  our  frequent  contacts  with  the  Russian  Orthodox 
Church.  Such  opportunities  have  presented  themselves  in  our 
own  country  where  your  Church  is  so  well  established.  In  our 
different  visits  to  Russia  also  we  have  enjoyed  helpful  fellow¬ 
ship  with  members  of  the  Russian  Church.  Moreover,  in  my 
four  visits  to  Japan  I  have  always  come  into  touch  with  the 
fruitful  mission  of  your  Church.  On  two  of  those  visits  I  had 
the  never-to-be-forgotten  privilege  of  intimate  association  with 
that  great  Christian  missionary  and  apostle,  Archbishop  Nicolai. 
On  one  occasion  he  attended  the  Christian  Student  Conference 
which  I  was  conducting  and  while  there  gave  a  most  powerful 
address  on  how  to  bring  the  truth  of  Christ  to  the  educated  classes 
of  Japan.  On  my  last  visit  to  that  country  I  conducted  a  con¬ 
ference  of  the  leaders  of  the  Christian  forces,  and  your  own 
Bishop  Sergius  and  also  the  head  of  your  theological  seminary 
were  present  as  delegates.  The  opportunity  of  mingling  with 
Russian  Christians  which  I  have  appreciated  most  deeply  was 
that  which  came  to  me  during  my  two  visits  to  the  prisoner-of- 
war  camps  in  Germany  and  Austria-Hungary.  Possibly  many 
of  you  do  not  know  that  the  Christians  of  America  early  in  the 
war  were  given  permission  to  extend  the  helpful  ministry  of  the 
Young  Men’s  Christian  Association  to  the  prison  camps  of  these 
countries  and  that  we  have  had  over  thirty  wise  and  unselfish 
American  workers  busily  engaged  throughout  the  larger  part  of 
the  war  in  helping  to  meet  the  needs  of  the  Russian  prisoners  as 


28 


well  as  those  of  the  other  Allied  countries.  It  would  be  difficult, 
yes  impossible,  to  express  to  you  adequately  the  sense  of  joy  and 
deep  satisfaction  it  has  afforded  us  to  be  permitted  in  this  way 
to  become  better  acquainted  with  the  Russian  people  and  with 
the  Russian  soul.  Anything  which  God  will  permit  us  to  do 
directly  or  indirectly  to  serve  the  Russian  prisoners  we  will 
gladly  do. 

There  are  three  words  or  messages  which  I  wish  to  bring 
to  all  the  members  of  this  Sobor  and  through  you  to  the  more 
than  one  hundred  million  men  and  women  who  belong  to  the 
Russian  Orthodox  Church.  The  first  message  I  would  convey  is 
one  of  the  deep  gratitude  of  the  American  people  to  the  Russian 
Christians  and  to  the  Russian  people  as  a  whole.  We  shall  never 
forget  the  service  rendered  by  Russia  to  our  country  at  the  time 
of  our  War  for  Independence  and  also  again  in  the  midst  of  our 
Civil  War.  Moreover,  we  recognize  that  in  the  present  world 
war  the  Russian  soldiers  and  people  have  been  fighting  battles 
for  us.  I  realize  in  some  measure  what  a  price  you  have  paid 
on  our  behalf  as  well  as  your  own  in  struggling  for  the  freedom 
of  the  world,  because  I  remember  the  two  million  lonely  Russian 
prisoners  so  many  of  whom  I  have  visited  in  the  prisoner-of-war 
camps,  also  your  hundreds  of  military  hospitals  which  have  at 
times  been  so  crowded  with  their  suffering  inmates;  nor  do  I 
forget  the  countless  graves  and  sorrowing  homes.  As  we  reflect 
on  these  sacrifices  and  sufferings  is  it  strange  that  my  people  feel 
under  a  sense  of  lasting  gratitude  to  Russia?  We  are  also  deeply 
grateful  because  of  what  you  are  proposing  and  planning  to  do 
to  continue  this  struggle  to  a  successful  issue.  That  you  will  do 
this  we  do  not  question.  Let  me  also  mention  as  a  ground  for 
thankfulness  to  Russia  the  valuable  constructive  service  accom¬ 
plished  within  the  United  States  by  the  Russian  Orthodox 
Church.  America  is  a  cosmopolitan  country.  Among  the  people 
who  have  come  to  us  from  different  lands  are  millions  of  Rus-, 
sians.  What  do  we  not  owe  to  your  Church  in  following  them 
with  its  blessed  ministries  and  helping  to  develop  among  them 
true  Christian  citizens.  Never  can  we  speak  too  highly  of  the 
splendid  foundations  laid  by  your  Church  leaders  such  as  the 
highly  beloved  Archbishop  Platon  and  Archbishop  Tikhon. 
American  Christians  are  likewise  profoundly  grateful  to  the 


29 


Russian  Church  for  all  that  it  has  done  through  the  centuries 
to  enrich  our  common  Christianity.  We  think  of  your  great 
contributions  in  the  realm  of  ecclesiastical  architecture  and 
sacred  art,  through  your  noble  and  uplifting  churches  and  cathe¬ 
drals,  through  the  wonderful  frescoes  and  paintings  and  through 
the  many  priceless  ikons.  We  have  been  profoundly  moved  by 
your  Church  music,  a  sphere  in  which  you  excel  all  other  Chris¬ 
tians.  Here  let  me  pay  a  tribute  to  my  countryman  and  friend, 
Mr.  Charles  R.  Crane,  who  through  the  years  has  had  such  a 
sympathetic  interest  in  all  that  is  best  in  Russian  life.  As  some 
of  you  know,  he  was  the  means,  through  his  large  financial  co¬ 
operation,  of  bringing  over  to  America  some  of  your  best  Church 
singers  and  of  building  up  in  connection  with  the  Russian  Cathe¬ 
dral  in  New  York  one  of  the  best  Russian  Church  choirs  in  the 
world.  Its  sacred  concerts  given  among  lovers  of  the  best  music 
in  all  our  great  cities,  in  our  universities  and  at  Christian  gather¬ 
ings  have  already  accomplished  much  in  the  direction  of  cultivat¬ 
ing  among  the  Christians  of  America  a  love  for  the  best  Church 
music.  One  of  your  greatest  contributions  to  the  Christian 
religion  has  been  your  faithful  and  fearless  witness  through  the 
centuries  to  great  and  essential  Christian  truths.  With  grateful 
memory  we  also  recall  the  lives  of  many  of  your  confessors, 
martyrs,  and  saints. 

My  second  message  is  an  expression  of  solicitude  and  sym¬ 
pathetic  caution  lest  in  this  time  of  great  upheaval  the  position 
and  hold  of  the  Russian  Church  be  weakened.  The  foundations 
of  the  world  are  heaving.  Institutions  which  we  had  thought 
solid  and  enduring  have  proved  to  be  resting  on  shifting  sand. 
Christ  and  His  Church  were  never  so  necessary,  never  so  unique 
and,  if  given  their  central  position,  will  prove  never  to  have  been 
more  sufficient.  None  of  us  will  forget  that  in  the  period  of 
the  Tartars  and  in  other  times  of  grave  menace  it  was  the 
Russian  Church  which  held  the  nation  together.  It  has  been 
most  encouraging  and  inspiring  to  visit  this  great  gathering  and 
4o  see  the  open-minded  and  thorough  way  in  which  so  many  of 
your  Church  leaders  are  facing  their  problems  and  seeking  to 
adapt  the  Church  to  new  and  modern  conditions.  This  process 
is  sure  to  result  in  great  and  lasting  good.  Let  us  have  the 
courage  to  welcome  and  accept  the  truth  from  any  quarter.  In 


30 


this  period  of  change  and  readjustment,  while  we  are  earnestly 
seeking  to  lay  hold  on  new  truth  for  the  life  and  work  of  the 
Church,  let  us  with  like  intensity  and  conviction  hold  fast  to  all 
that  is  true  in  historic  Christianity;  let  us  continue  to  ring  true 
regarding  the  unchangeable  and  mighty  truths  of  creedal  Chris¬ 
tianity  ;  let  us  in  a  day  of  crass  materialism  and  of  cold  mtel- 
lectualism  preserve  the  priceless  possession  of  mystical  Chris¬ 
tianity  ;  let  us  at  all  costs  see  that  our  Christianity  is  abounding 
in  vitality ;  and,  through  the  fearless  and  unflinching  application 
of  Christ’s  principles,  let  us  insist  that  it  be  made  an  adequate 
transforming  power  in  social  and  national  life  and  in  inter¬ 
national  relationships. 

My  third  message  is  one  of  hope  and  reassurance.  You  are 
engaged  in  the  greatest  struggle  which  the  world  has  ever  known. 

I  come  to  remind  you  that  the  United  States  is  with  you  in  this 
conflict  to  the  very  end.  The  American  people  love  peace  and 
hate  war.  We  did  all  that  we  could  do  in  justice  to  our  con¬ 
science  to  keep  out  of  this  world  war,  but  finally  to  be  true  to 
our  souls  and  our  highest  guiding  principles  we  found  it  neces¬ 
sary  to  join  you  and  the  other  Allies.  In  doing  so  we  have 
counted  the  cost  and  are  ready  to  pay  it.  Since  I  left  my  home 
ten  millions  of  American  young  men  have  registered  themselves 
as  ready  to  serve  their  nation  in  this  struggle  in  any  way  which 
the  authorities  may  designate.  This  great  host  is  being  called 
up  in  lots  of  five  hundred  thousand  each  to  be  thoroughly 
trained.  The  week  I  left  America  fourteen  great  officers’  camps 
were  opened  in  which  over  forty  thousand  officers  are  being 
prepared  for  their  responsibilities.  Our  Congress  has  already 
authorized  the  raising  through  loans  and  taxation  for  war  ex¬ 
penditures  this  first  year  the  equivalent  of  over  thirty-five  billions 
of  roubles.  Our  various  states  and  municipalities  as  well  as  the 
national  Government  have  thrown  themselves  with  earnestness 
into  the  work  of  preparation.  All  our  great  industries  are  being 
mobilized  with  reference  to  rendering  the  maximum  of  service 
in  the  war.  The  work  of  production  and  distribution  has  been 
put  in  the  ablest  hands  for  the  same  purpose,  and  our  means  of 
communication  have  been  placed  at  the  disposal  of  the  Govern¬ 
ment.  General  Pershing  and  some  of  the  first  contingent  of  our 
troops  have  landed  in  France.  We  already  have  naval  vessels  at 


31 


work  in  European  waters.  It  may  safely  be  said  that  ninety-nine 
per  cent,  if  not  more,  of  the  American  people  stand  solidly  behind 
our  great  President  in  the  purposes  which  he  has  announced. 
Let  this  message,  therefore,  remind  you  that  you  are  not  alone. 
Go  back  to  all  your  parishes  in  cities,  towns,  and  villages  and  tell 
the  Russian  people  that  America  is  with  them.  Say  to  them  that 
just  as  Russia  came  to  the  help  of  America  in  the  darkest  hours 
of  her  history,  so  America  now  joins  Russia  in  this  moment  of 
grave  crisis.  Tell  them  to  stand  firmly  behind  the  Provisional 
Government.  Tell  them  to  be  true  to  the  Church  that  it  may  in 
this  time  of  colossal  strain  preserve  the  solidarity  of  the  nation. 
Tell  them  that  we  believe  that,  in  view  of  what  Russia  has  already 
achieved  in  this  war,  in  view  of  the  wonderful  sacrifices  which 
the  Russian  people  have  already  made,  in  view  of  the  vast  and 
vital  issues  at  stake,  and  in  view  of  the  urgency  of  the  situation 
and  the  gravity  of  the  crisis,  Russia  and  her  Allies  must  continue 
steadfast  to  the  end.  Above  all  let  the  Church  be  unfailing  in 
reminding  the  people  that  God  only  can  enable  us  to  accomplish 
His  high  and  holy  purpose.  While  everything  else  is  changeable 
and  changing  Jesus  Christ  “is  the  same  yesterday,  today,  yea. 
and  forever.” 


32 


Letter  from  the  High  Procurator  of  the  Rus¬ 
sian  Orthodox  Church  to  John  R.  Mott 


Chancellory  of  the  High 

Procurator  of  the  Holy  Synod  of  Russia. 

Petrograd,  July  6th,  1917. 

My  dear  Sir, 

The  most  kind  and  helpful  conversations  which  you  have 
had  with  me  regarding  the  important  affairs  of  the  Orthodox 
Church  in  Russia  evoked  in  my  own  heart  a  sense  of  sincere 
gratitude,  especially  for  the  brotherly  appreciation  and  sympathy 
which  you  have  manifested  for  my  dear  Mother  Church.  I  trust 
and  hope  that  in  the  future  also  you  will  not  leave  me  without 
the  help  of  your  wise  counsel  and  support  as  I  seek  to  discharge 
the  important  responsibilities  entrusted  to  me  by  the  people.  I 
am  indeed  grateful  to  you  for  your  coming  to  Russia  at  this 
time.  Your  visit  and  the  messages  which  you  delivered  at  the 
Convention  of  the  clergy  and  laity  of  all  Russia  in  Moscow  and 
before  the  Holy  Synod  and  other  leaders  of  the  Church  in  Petro¬ 
grad  have  shown  us  that  your  love  for  the  Christian  Church  and 
your  ability  to  perceive  the  truth  of  the  Christian  faith  are  true 
not  only  of  yourself  but  also  of  those  many  lovable  Christian 
hearts  in  America  whom  you  have .  so  well  represented.  May 
Our  Lord  bless  you  for  your  largeness  of  heart. 

Regarding  that  part  of  your  important  letter  in  which  you 
express  the  desire  that  the  Russian  Orthodox  Church  be  repre¬ 
sented  officially  at  the  proposed  Conference  on  Faith  and  Order 
to  be  held  in  America  within  a  few  years,  I  would  say  that  I  am 
profoundly  interested  in  this  Conference  and  respond  with  all 
my  soul  to  its  high  aims  as  set  forth  by  you  in  your  communica¬ 
tion.  I  believe  that  the  plan  of  the  Conference  is  wise  in  not 
making  it  a  legislative  body  but  limiting  its  work  to  that  of 
bringing  together  for  fellowship  and  interchange  of  knowledge 
and  experience  members  of  the  various  Christian  Communions 
of  the  world.  Such  exchange  of  knowledge  about  the  distinc- 


33 


tive  teachings,  principles,  forms  of  government,  and  work  of  the 
great  Christian  Churches  will  result  in  very  great  good.  I  assure 
you,  therefore,  that  as  High  Procurator  of  the  Holy  Synod  of 
the  Russian  Orthodox  Church  I  will  see,  so  far  as  it  depends 
upon  me,  that  suitable  representatives  of  our  Church  are  sent  to 
the  proposed  Conference.  I  shall  be  glad  to  have  you  report  this 
fact,  and  also  would  like  to  have  you  arrange  to  have  sent  to  me 
all  printed  circulars  and  pamphlets  which  may  be  issued  from 
time  to  time  dealing  with  the  plans  for  the  Conference. 

With  profound  respect  for  the  great  and  useful  work  accom¬ 
plished  by  the  American  Special  Mission  now  in  Russia,  and  for 
you,  my  dear  brother  in  Jesus  Christ, 

I  beg  to  remain, 

Faithfully  yours, 

VLADIMIR  LVOFF, 

High  Procurator  of  the 
Holy  Synod  of  Russia. 

Dr.  John  R.  Mott, 

Envoy  Extraordinary  of  the  United  States  of  America  on 

Special  Mission  to  Russia,  Winter  Palace,  Petrograd. 


34 


t 


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